Member-only story
How Street Food Strengthens the Hong Kong Protests
Affordable food on the go facilitates bonds between protesters and others who support the pro-democracy movement
On Christmas Day in Hong Kong, pro-democracy catering companies stepped onto the front line to provide the comfort of a warm meal. Reuters reported that a local catering company, Kwong Wing Catering, provided free dinners for protesters. Glory, the owner of the catering company, told Reuters, “Hong Kongers are more united this Christmas (than) in previous.” This was the first Christmas since the pro-democracy movement’s calls for “five demands not less” began in June 2019. These Christmas meals throughout the city provided kinship and solace during a period of increased state police brutality and tension.
Against the backdrop of conflict, a quiet but radical pro-democracy peace movement is slowly transforming the city. This new movement is informed by the city’s rich cultural history of street food. Hong Kong’s street food heritage harkens to the dawn of the 19th century, when food stalls cropped up to feed visitors and locals. The culture of eating in the streets among friends informs the present.
Street food culture by design is linked to democratic ideals.
